Day 134-138: Switchbacks

Date September 16-20
Day 134-138
Mile 2364.5-2476
Green Gap to Stevens Pass

Day 134-Stampede!

We got up early today knowing we needed to do some big miles to get into Snowqualmie pass when we wanted to. The day was pretty simple with lots of trees and not a lot of views. There were also lots of signs of civilization such as power lines and roads. We took a small lunch with H-bomb on an old dirt road. A few hours after lunch we stumbled upon some trail magic.








Some former thru hikers were doing trail magic on weekends at stampede pass. We got got dogs and hamburgers, cookies, drinks, and candy. It was really amazing and we sat there and chatted for awhile. We left the trail magic and hiked on two miles. The mileage was a little less than we had desired but it was alright. What a great day and amazing country in Washington!

Day 135-Snoqualmie Pass

Today we woke up knowing we only had 16 miles to get to the pass and get food! We did the miles quick and the terrain was forested and view less like the day before. We hit the 2400 mile mark!








We got into town got our package and went to get food at the restaurant nearby. After eating to our hearts content we sat on the curb pondering what to do. I suggested we stay the night at the wonderful Summit Inn where we had just eaten lunch. After a few minutes of talking it over we decided to spend the night. We did our last load of laundry and other town chores we needed to get done. We went to dinner with Holstein, Lunchbox, Cosine, and I think there was one more.




It was a great night and after a long dinner we went back to our room and watched a little tv. We were happy to enjoy the comforts of a hotel for likely the last time on the trail.

Day 136-Alpine Lakes

We woke up in good spirits and got everything ready to go quick. On our way out of the hotel we decided to stop for breakfast. We ate with lunchbox and Uhaul and had a nice big breakfast. The hike out of Snoqualmie was good and we entered the amazing alpine lakes wilderness.








It was very pretty with amazing views. We talked to some day hikers and took lunch by an alpine lake. I think we just ate way too much junk food at lunch because I didn't feel good the rest of the day. I figure I ate about 1400 calories of gas station junk food in a few minutes. The going was slow the rest of the day but we still did 21 miles. It was a great day and we found a cool camp spot by a rushing river.

Day 137- Smokey

We wanted to get up early today but it was too cozy so we just slept in. Despite the late start we still got hiking at a good hour. The hike was through some amazing alpine areas which meant a lot of elevation gain and decent all day. We must have climbed at least 100 switchbacks in this section.












There was lots of smoke in the surrounding valleys and there seems to be fires everywhere. The day was good and we hiked on with headlamps hoping to find a spot by a river described as a dangerous crossing in early season. We took this to mean it would be an easy crossing this late in the season. We followed the trail to the river which ended in a sharp drop off into rushing whitewater. We considered camping on the side of the river we were on but there was recent rockfall activity and it didn't look very safe. We had to cross the river in the dark with only headlamps. After a while we found a safe spot to cross on a log/rock crossing and didn't even get our feet wet. We were so glad that what initially looked like a bad situation turned out to be quite easy. By the time we found a camp spot we had done almost 30 miles through rough terrain and we were very proud. Despite the long day I still cooked myself some Mac & Cheese in the dark. It was worth it.

Day 138-Stevens Pass

We had a pretty full day from where we camped to where we wanted to get to which was Stevens pass. We hiked all day relentlessly only stopping for a small lunch and a small break.








The terrain was amazing! There were huge glacially carved alpine lakes and huge peaks all around us. The northern part of Washington is unbelievably pretty and supposedly only gets better. It is weird to think we only have 8 days of hiking left after today and we will be done with the PCT. We got to Stevens pass by 6 and took a small potty stop. We crossed the road to some other hikers who were hitching and got a ride almost instantly. When we were getting in the car Jenna realized she didn't have her phone. We thanked the driver for the offer and I ran back to the bathroom where Jenna thought she may have left it. Fortunately it was there and we resumed our hitch hiking. We got a ride from the first truck that passed. It was an awesome lady named Kat who had a truck full/trailer full of hay. We got into Baring before dark and met several new hikers. The first thing we did was get our resupply boxes and get showered. We did our resupply and did everything we needed to do at this stop. After finishing everything we watched the movie Seven and went to bed. It was a great day and we have our passports and Canada entry permits now! It is a really weird feeling knowing how little we have left to hike. A little less the 200 miles. It has been amazing and can't wait to see the rest of Washington.

-Natey